02 The Consequences of a Bright Night
by Scopet
Summary: Taking place at end of S4 between the liberation of Camelot and Arthur & Gwen's wedding. Arthur and Merlin are trying to fix the messes left by two weeks of Morgana's rule before Camelot's enemies take advantageous. Will eventually lead to a reveal.
1. Chapter 1 A Little Night Magic

_**SCOP'S NOTES**:_  
**Here's my first proper story. It's also my first fan fiction, so I'd appreciate any constructive reviews.**  
**.**  
**The story takes place just after the end of S4 but before Arthur and Gwen get married, during the cleanup phase in Camelot as Arthur and Merlin must deal with the mess Morgana left behind. Each chapter is going to be a mini-story about something that happens in that time frame, but they're all tied together and build off each other. Just don't expect any cliff hangers. This is going to be a Reveal fic, eventually, but there's other mini stories which will happen before that, so be patient. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

**-mAmAmAm-**

The Consequences of a Bright Night: Chapter 1 - A Little Night Magic

It had been a long day. At the end of which, Morgana no longer sat on the throne of Camelot. Where she had gotten to was still a mystery, but some things could be worried over later. There was much to do to clean up the mess she had left behind in her short rule. Order had te be reclaimed quickly, least Camelot's other, more traditional enemies begin picking at her boarders.

Technically, it had been two days since Merlin had last rested, but at least, soon he'd be in his own bed instead of lying on a pile of leaves in the Forest of Acetier. Arthur could wait if he wanted him to do anything else before he and his mattress were reacquainted and had spent several glorious hours reminiscing.

Merlin had spent most of the time after the battle in the infirmary. He'd gone there to check Gaius. His guardian wasn't doing well after his stay in the dungeons and Merlin wanted to be sure he got plenty of rest and water, and had something to eat that wouldn't be to stressful on his system.

Without Gaius to guide them, the volunteers tending the wounded began deferring to Merlin on the more difficult cases. Word had gotten around that Arthur had appointed him acting physician on a case in one of the villages when Gaius was too busy with an illness in Camelot to make the trip himself. It was odd at first, being the one everyone was listening to for a change, but Merlin figured they just needed the stability after all that had happened. After the time they'd already put in, they were all fairly knowledgeable on what needed to be done anyway. He soon became familiar with whom was better at what and as more injured arrived, assigned caretaker to wounded accordingly. Gaius would have handled things better, he was sure, but everyone got the treatment they needed.

The hardest part was watching those who were beyond help die. There were too many people in the infirmary for Merlin to risk using magic, and, truth be told, his ability to heal large battle wounds wasn't much better than what could be done in the infirmary. Every time someone died, it stoked a simmering frustration inside him. If magic had been legal, he'd had the time to learn the kind of intricate healing magic his father and Talieson had used on Arthur. It was like watching Isolde die all over again.

Eventually, the wounded began leaving to see to the state of their own households and finally Merlin was free to check on the state of his. He sent for a litter for Gaius and Leon and Percival volunteered to ferret him over to his chambers while Merlin went on ahead to straighten things up.

**-mAmAmAm-**

Merlin had seen worse. Arthur and Leon had both done better jobs trashing Gaius' chambers in the past searching for magical portants and signs of sorcery during one of Uthur's witch hunts. The thought didn't make him feel any better. Philes of potions and powders had been broken, their contents struen about, a few chairs over turned, and papers lay scattered about. The bed had been slept in and some of the medical supplies had been disturbed, suggesting the Southrons had actually used the medical supplies appropriately. But what caught his attention were the anthologies piled on the main table and scattered about. They were all opened to the "Em-" section. Merlin smiled with a small scene of sanctification knowing that the searcher had been frustrated. If Morgana was looking for Emrys, she was looking in the wrong books.

He approached the stairs of his own room with a bit more intrepidation. Merlin wasn't sure exactly how much root magic Morgana possessed underneath the powers she had gained through study. If she had searched the chambers herself and not just left the job to some lackey, she may have been able to sense the traces of power emanating from behind his door.

The room didn't look too bad, but he was going to have to replace the herb rack, and his bed had been slept in as well. He immediately moved it aside with a thought. The floorboards were intact. He uttered a slight spell to loosen them and checked the contents underneath. Magic books, his brass burnishing bowl, Fairy staff, Philosopher's Stone, Cup of Life. All still there, safe and sound. "Safer than the vaults of Camelot," Merlin mused. He grabbed the magical healing book by Gwillem of Cambria and sealed the rest back under the floor again.

He was far too tired to give the room a proper cleaning and he still had a lot to do before he'd have a chance for sleep tonight. Surely Gaius would forgive him this indulgence if he found out. He raised his hand and uttered _"áfeorme"_ as his eyes glowed gold. He left while the room busied cleaning itself.

He cast the same spell on Gaius's bed as he passed it, but didn't do much with the rest of the chamber least the place appear untouched during Morgana's brief control when the rest of the castle had sustained so much damage. It could cause too many questions that Merlin was in no mood to invent explanations for. Besides, there were other things that needed doing at the moment and not much time to do them in. He lightened the spell to push aside most of the broken glass to make it looked like he slept and sent most of the books back to their shelves, flipping the pages of the books that remained to appear more random.

He set Gwillem's book down on a recently cleared area of the table and quickly scanned through for what he was looking for, a healing poultice that would help to gently restore Gaius's health. Gaius might not approve of this either, but after the time he'd spent in the infirmary, frankly, he didn't care anymore. Gaius was someone he could save. He routed around the scattered supplies and managed to find all the listed ingredients, a motor and pestle, and a small bag, then continued reading.

"Mix ye these well as ye focus on a time when thy tended was a great vigor-" Merlin remembered the time when Gaius's old girlfriend, Alice, had first come for a visit-before they realized she was being controlled by the Manticor and was preparing to do evil. He kept the image in mind while he ground down the ingredients in the pestle.

"- then cast ye these words _'Gebreade! Auxilium remedium emendatio sanatio!'"_

He poured the contents into a small poultice bag and pulled the strings tight. The last instructions said to seal the bag with "the bond between ye and thy tended"

"_Se fréond_" Merlin said, and the poultice glowed, betraying it's magical potency. Gaius was much more than a friend to him, but the word would suffice. It was the feelings that were important. He quickly checked the bed for any poppets or other magical traps Morgana may have left. Finding none, he placed the poultice under Gaius's mattress. What Gaius didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and Merlin was in no mood to hear the old man insist that Merlin not help him and just let him die. Gaius could complain all he wanted to in the morning once the deed was done. He'd have to remember to retrieve the poultice in the morning. The incident with Gwen's father had taught him not to leave such things lying around. That reminded him he still had to retrieve the poppet he'd placed under Morgana's bed to bind her powers, somehow. If anyone had found it, the questions wouldn't have lead back to him, but still, there would be questions. Hopefully tomorrow would give him a legitimate excuse to enter her chambers in case anyone saw him go in.

The chamber door opened and Percival and Leon carried Gaius in on the litter.

"Really Merlin, I could have walked." Gaius complained. That was a lie. Merlin knew the journey up the stairs to the turret room would have exhausted him in his present state.

"Maybe in the morning." Merlin said. "Right now you need your rest." He grabbed the magic book as he passed it on the way to the door. He stuffed it behind his back in his trousers and covered it with his shirt while the two knights worked at getting the litter round the corner. "He give you any trouble?" he asked Leon.

"Nothing we couldn't handle. Least he's the energy to complain." Leon said.

Merlin smiled. "Chicken soup and rice gruel. My mother always said that worked wonders." He showed the two knights where Gaius's bed was and helped them move him on to it.

He had seen to it that Gaius had had a bath and a change of clothes in the infirmary. Partly because after two weeks in the dungeons he stank a bit, but mainly because he wanted to be sure Morgana haddn't slipped any articles of enchantment on him. He didn't want a repeat of what happened with Uther.

Just then a young serving girl of about 14 years of age ran in through the door, carrying a small cauldron in front of her. She was the head cooks daughter, **B**eth.

"Another batch, Merlin." she said as she toted her burden to the hearth hook. "Mother said she'd be happy to make more as long as it's for Gauis and not one of those thieving kni-" Beth turned around and saw Percival and Leon stairing at her. Embarrased, she did a slight curtzy "Excuse me, sirs" and ran out the door... right into Arthur as he was entering. The King let out an "Umph!"

"I-I" the girl stammered, eyes wide with fright. "Forgive me, Sire" she managed as she ran down the stairs.

The boys shared a laugh. Gauis started to, but it turned into a cough that caught everyone's attention.

"How are you feeling Gaius." Arthur asked.

"Better Sire," Gaius managed to say as he cleared his throat, though Merlin could still hear a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Don't worry about it, Gaius. I'm sure you'll be up and around by morning. The whole castle's pulling for you." Merlin assured his guardian.

"Got a good feeling about that, then?" Percival asked.

"Something like that." Merlin said, "But right now, he needs his rest, and so do I, so if you don't mind, go find your own beds."

The knights took the hint, but Arthur hung back in the doorway. He cast a glance over at Gaius. "Are you going to be able to get back to work tomorrow or do I need to find George for a day or two?"

Merlin shook his head. "Best thing Gaius needs right now is rest. Better I'm doing something useful than puttering around here and waking him up. I can check on him during meal times."

"Good, because my chambers are going to need a muck out. Looks like Morgana threw a tantrum in there. There's some halfway decent chambers in the ninth floor guest wing, you can find me up there somewhere. Apparently the Southron didn't like climbing stairs. I'm planing on sleeping in, so... make sure you get enough sleep yourself."

"Seriously?" Merlin asked. "I'm not sure if I heard you correctly but it sounded like you said I could sleep in."

"Why not," Arthur said. "You're going to need your sleep. Nine flights is a lot of stairs to climb and I'm going to need a bath once I'm up."

"Great," Merlin sighed. "Is it too late to find George?"

"Yes," Arthur said, slipping back into Prat Mode for the first time since they regained the castle. "Besides, there's something else I want to talk to you about, but it will wait till morning."

"What?" Merlin asked.

"No, it will wait." Arthur said in a way that made Merlin leary of what Arthur wanted to tell him. He'd used that tone of voice that said he was planning something, and that was never good. "You just get some rest. Nine flights. Bath."

"Right."

Arthur cast another glance at Gaius and caught the old man staring back at him, smiling. "Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"Yes." Merlin said. There had been a genuine tone of worry in Arthur's voice, though he'd tried to hide it, and it suddenly occurred to Merlin that Gaius was the last person Arthur had left from his childhood who had cared for him. "He'll be fine."

Arthur nodded. "All right, as long as you have a good feeling about that."

"Shoo, Sire." Merlin put his hand on Arthur's chest and gently pushed him out the door, or rather, Arthur let him push him. He grabbed the door in readiness to close it once Arthur left. After all he had done for Arthur over the last couple of weeks, he still felt closing a door in his face would have been pushing it.

"Good night, Gaius." Arthur waved then headed for the stairs.

"Good Night Arthur," Gaius called back cheerfully. It was nice to hear things were getting back to normal in the palace.

Under Gaius's bed and safely out of view, the poultice glowed silently, doing it's work.

**-mAmAmAm-**

**So that's the first chapter. Merlin's getting a little fed up with not being able to use his magic after cutting loose while he was out saving Arthur's life and getting his throne back. But where does that leave Merlin?**

_**SCOP OUT**_


	2. Chapter 2 Tiny Wars

**SCOP'S NOTES:**

**Here's my first proper story. It's also my first fan fiction, so I'd appreciate any constructive reviews.**

**.**

**The story takes place just after the end of S4 but before Arthur and Gwen get married, during the cleanup phase in Camelot as Arthur and Merlin must deal with the mess Morgana left behind. Each chapter is going to be a mini-story about something that happens in that time frame, but they're all tied together and build off each other. Just don't expect any cliff hangers. This is going to be a Reveal fic, eventually, but there's other mini stories which will happen before that, so be patient.**

**Chapter 2 notes:**

**FYI, the beginning bit in Italics is a dream sequence. The words come from The Sword in the Stone Part 2**

**This started out being a little bit to go before the next chapter, but then Merlin started thinking...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.**

**.**

**-mAmAmAm-BEGIN-mAmAmAm-**

**The Consequences of a Bright Night: Chapter 2 - A Little Night Magic**

_As he ran down the corridor, he could hear the clash of swords and the sound of the woman's voices echoing round the corner._

_"What did I do to make you hate me so much?"_

_"It's not what you did, it's what you're destined to do! I'm sorry, Gwen, but I can never let that happen!"_

_He heard the sword hit the floor and the silence that followed. Merlin had seen too many battles not to know what was going on. The death blow was being pulled. He was too far away, he wasn't going to make it in time, he wasn't... _

He wasn't...

_He wasn't going to let that happen. The warlock's eyes flashed gold and time slowed around him. As he reached the door, he could see beyond Gwen's shoulder that Morgana had her sword drawn back, her eyes betraying the determination of her actions. Terror filled Merlin's heart, he hadn't realized it had been this close. Ever so slowly, the sword started creeping forward. Merlin reacted without having to think about it._

_Morgana flew back with a force that caused part of the ceiling to drop. When the dust settled, however, Morgana's body was no where to be seen. He'd meant to kill her with that blow, just as surly as she had meant to kill Gwen. But he could tell by the feeling inside, or rather lack of the flutter that would mark her passing that she was not dead._

_"What happened?" Gwen asked._

_"I don't know." Merlin said. That was a lie._

**-mAmAmAm-**

_**.**_

Merlin woke up later than he wanted to. Which meant he felt properly rested for a change. It also meant he wasn't going to have time to retrieve the poppet under Morgana's bed before he got Arthur's breakfast to him, and he still had to finish cleaning the main chamber before Gaius woke up. Merlin forced himself out of bed and set about getting dressed. He decided on his blue tunic, red neckerchief and a clean pair of trousers from the cupboard where last night's cleaning spell had left them.

It wouldn't be disastrous if anyone found the poppet. The first thing anyone would do would be to bring it here. Gaius was the expert on those sorts of things after all and no one _except_ Gaius would suspect him of planting it. He certainly wasn't going to tell anyone. Merlin was more worried Morgana would find out about it-she could easily still have spies in the palace. He may have to use the poppet-under-the-bed trick again sometime. The irony was, he'd learned that trick from her. Just a variation of the mandrake root curse she'd left under Uther's bed. The expression on her face when her magic failed had been priceless. He owed her that for the whole snake in the head thing. He wasn't sure if her powers were still bound or, if like the enchantment he had placed on Arthur, the spell had dissipated in the morning. The longer it lasted the better as far as he was concerned.

With or without Magic, Morgana was going to continue to be trouble. From what he knew of the Old Religion, it liked balance. If Morgana was still alive, it could only mean one thing. Destiny wasn't through with her yet.

He still had to find some clothes for Arthur to change into. According to Gwen, Morgana had shredded everything in Arthur's wardrobe. All Arthur had when they left were literally the clothes on his back, which consisted of his undergarments, trousers, and the padding he wore under his chain mail, all of which he had sweated into several times since they had left Ealdor. Merlin grabbed his grey tunic. No way Arthur would fit into Merlin's trousers, but Gaius might have a spare pair lying around he could belt. If it came to it, Arthur was just going to have to suffer through wearing them. At least they'd be a step up from his "simpleton" garb.

**-mAmAmAm-**

Someone, probably Betsy, had hung another pot of chicken broth and rice porridge warming in the hearth in the main room. There had also left a chunk of cheese and an apple on the table along with a large picture of drinking water set carefully amongst the books he had left there from last night.

"This must be what it's like to be a noble," Merlin said. He knew Gaius couldn't hear him. But over the years, he had gotten used to pulling the old man's ear. "Sleep in late, have someone bring you your breakfast." He cast the cleaning spell on the debris on the floor. There'd been enough time. Everyone would assume he got up early to clean up in here. "And that's what it feels like to be a warlock."

The poultice would keep Gaius asleep for a few more hours yet while his body healed, but Merlin managed to get him awake enough to get a bowl of the porridge and a glass of water down him before settling him back to his healing slumber. His mentor looked worlds better this morning. Gone was the grey parlor and the blue tinge from his lips and fingernails. Things could have gone differently so easily yesterday. If they had held back the battle one more day... He didn't understand how Morgana could have done that to Gaius, after all the care he had given her over the years.

"Morgana's lucky, so lucky that all I did was bind her powers. If I had known about this, what she was doing to you... I might have put a different spell on that poppet."

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the rest of the books back to their shelves. They hit with more force than he intended, knocking more books down and breaking one of the shelves.

Merlin took a deep breath to calm down. A voice that sounded like Gaius's chided him in his head. _"It not magic, but letting thoughts of anger and fear fester in your mind which lead to the same madness Morgana now suffers. Having magic just makes it easier to act on those thoughts." _So did being a king, Merlin reminded himself. Uther had proven that much. Even Arthur was susceptible to it. Part of his destiny was to see to it Arthur didn't follow his father down that route. It was the times when Arthur tried to hide his insecurities that his Inner Prat lashed out at Merlin the most. _"The madness doesn't care what path of power one takes to it's embrace. It holds no prejudice." _

Merlin crossed over to the bookshelf. His usual mending spells weren't having any lasting effect. The repair simply wouldn't hold under the weight of the shelf, let alone any books put on it. He didn't know any masonry spells so he tried to see it if were salvageable by conventional means.

He knew he'd have to forgive Morgana if he were going to continue to be of use Arthur and Camelot and fulfill his destiny to prove that magic could be a force for good. It didn't mean he had to like her, it didn't even mean he had to trust her. It just meant he had to get rid of the want for vengeance, like Gwen had forgiven Uther for her father's death. _"He means nothing to me. If I wanted him dead, I'd be as bad as he is."_

"I don't want to be angry with Morgana. A part of me still wants my friend back. But Kilgharrah was right. That option ended a long time ago. This isn't over. She'll try again. But this fight we're locked in has nothing to do with magic. Morgana simply wants to be Queen and she's willing to abandon all her friendships for it. Even if I had told her about my magic earlier on, we'd still be in this same spot."

The shelf was hopeless. The plaster that held the screw in place had shattered. Plastering a wall through mundane methods wasn't part of his experience either. Out of curiosity, Merlin tried modifying a few healing spells.

"I can understand her wanting to go after Uther, but Arthur is _not_ Uther. She knows that Arthur stood up to Uther for fair magic trials. She knows that he didn't equate magic meant to heal and protect with magic meant for evil. But she doesn't care. She want's Arthur to be just like Uthur to justify her attempts to take the throne. Everything she's done has been one steady reinforcement in Arthur's mind that magic corrupts and can't be trusted."

No good. A body knew how to heal itself. The plaster was still plaster, no mater what its form. It didn't know it was broken.

"If that's how my destiny to protect Arthur was meant to be played out, to protect him until he makes that decision, then so be it. Arthur _will_ be the great king to bring about the time of Albion. But if Morgana thinks she can make pawns out of you or Gwen in the process..."

A repair spell... a simple repair spell was alluding him. Why was masonry so different from fixing a broken cup or a vase, and if he were such an all powerful sorcerer, why didn't he know the answer to that?

"... destiny or not, she can talk with Nimueh if she thinks she can get away with that."

In frustration, Merlin pushed the shelf at the wall. His eyes glowed as a little bit of his magic leaked out. The shelf exploded into dust. "Brilliant!" he chided himself.

"_You cannot afford the luxury of courting such madness," _he told himself in a voice that sounded exactly like Kilgharrah's. _"The actions you take now will be the example for all who follow. You have to be strong for people you will never meet and who've yet to be born, throughout the ages. People who will desperately need your example to help them face the trials of their own time."_

Because it wasn't enough for Destiny for him to be responsible for the people he knew in his own time. Sometimes, Destiny was a bigger prat than Arthur.

Gaius would be all right. Gaius was amongst friends who cared about him. In the course of one evening Morgana had lost everyone she had come to rely on, mostly by his hand. Maybe they were even after all. He took another deep breath and let his anger go... as best he could anyway. Even examples were human. He'd do a better job of forgiving once Gaius was up and about.

He had to get moving. He'd wasted more time on the shelf than he meant to.

Merlin grabbed the apple and cheese and pocketed them to munch on the way to the kitchens. He reached for the spare set of his clothes he'd picked out for Arthur, then stopped cold.

_"Why do these itch so much? It's like wearing a scrub brush. And what is that smell?"_

Maybe he could squeeze in a quick trip to Arthur's chambers on the way from the kitchen to see if there were a few pieces of nondescript clothing he could magic back together. He could always say he'd found them somewhere.

**-mAmAmAm-END-mAmAmAm**

.

**This one got a little heady, and a little dark. Was hoping to mix the thoughts with the action, the humor with the dark. Hard to do when only one person in the room is conscience :) How did I do?**

**The next bit should be cute, honest**

**SCOP OUT**


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